Side mirror upgrade option

[FlyHappy]

So, I get the no power windows part, and maybe a add on to change that. But what i do not understand with the fact of only manual windows and the advent of the center console, Its not going to be fun to adjust the mirrors that someone for a second driver on the passenger side. It will be sit in truck, lean over and roll down the window, guess at the manual adjustment of the passenger mirror, lean back, rinse an repeat a few times with inclement weather.... yeah... I offer power mirror option is a higher priority then the power windows... OMG... really??

Its a remarkably easy skill to pick up - adjusting the mirror from outside the car, by "sighting" down the body, in other words, looking in reverse. Classic car maneuver, and a good opportunity to "inspect" your vehicle before every trip yes... something we are all supposed to do, and nobody does, I get that.

 

[kvermeer]

I can buy measurable but immense? I mean, it's just a mirror. Wouldn't a roof rack and a cargo carrier would have a bigger hit on aerodynamics? What about open windows?

Yeah, all those things have huge impacts on aerodynamics!

If the Blank Slate has an aerodynamic efficiency of roughly 0.35, the stock mirrors by themselves might contribute 0.015 or something - fully 4% of the total drag of the truck. Big, tall, draggy truck mirrors might push the Cd up by 0.04 to 0.39, which would reduce the highway efficiency enough that you can't reach 200 miles on a charge, which is important for Slate marketing.

A cargo carrier on a roof rack is probably much worse. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's coastdown tests with different configurations! I'm personally hoping for mods to increase efficiency rather than make it more aggressively Tonka truck shaped.

What's the difference between pickup, pickup with tonneau cover, SUV, fastback, and open air? How much does a roof rack or ladder rack add? What about adding a lift kit and all-terrain tires, or how much does a lowering kit help?

Fun stuff! I'll post numbers when I get mine in Jan-Mar if no one else beats me to it.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Yeah, all those things have huge impacts on aerodynamics!

If the Blank Slate has an aerodynamic efficiency of roughly 0.35, the stock mirrors by themselves might contribute 0.015 or something - fully 4% of the total drag of the truck. Big, tall, draggy truck mirrors might push the Cd up by 0.04 to 0.39, which would reduce the highway efficiency enough that you can't reach 200 miles on a charge, which is important for Slate marketing.

A cargo carrier on a roof rack is probably much worse. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's coastdown tests with different configurations! I'm personally hoping for mods to increase efficiency rather than make it more aggressively Tonka truck shaped.

What's the difference between pickup, pickup with tonneau cover, SUV, fastback, and open air? How much does a roof rack or ladder rack add? What about adding a lift kit and all-terrain tires, or how much does a lowering kit help?

Fun stuff! I'll post numbers when I get mine in Jan-Mar if no one else beats me to it.

Have you visited ecomodder.com?

 

[kvermeer]

Have you visited ecomodder.com?

How did you know?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

How did you know?

Prior experience. Darin's been at it for a while.

 

[Luxrage]

The Slate's mirrors don't look too far off the final offerings from Ford and Chevrolet through the 00s for their compact pickups:

The aftermarket might come to rescue for those:

 

[mmcafee]

I would imagine that it is not that hard to swap in a speed gear to reduce the number of turns of cranks of to lower the window. Anything higher then say 3 would be...really this is not 1970 any more... Thoughs on the new gearing design? of course we have to see whats production.

 

[Johnologue]

Humans survived many years before the advent of power mirrors. Unfortunately, we're slowly losing our ability to walk, like the passengers in Wall-E, so those further into the progression are going to be incapable of driving a Slate. The ability to think is next on the chopping block due to LLMs, self-driving cars will neuter future the ability of future humans to drive...

Hard disagree with the comparison.

Power/remote mirrors give people more agency and control over their environment/machine. If they somehow auto-aligned to be "optimal" based on a camera measuring the location of your head or something, that would be the LLM, autonomy, WALL-E type solution. The ship's wheel is distinctly on manual, here.

 

[Trace26]

So, I get the no power windows part, and maybe a add on to change that. But what i do not understand with the fact of only manual windows and the advent of the center console, Its not going to be fun to adjust the mirrors that someone for a second driver on the passenger side. It will be sit in truck, lean over and roll down the window, guess at the manual adjustment of the passenger mirror, lean back, rinse an repeat a few times with inclement weather.... yeah... I offer power mirror option is a higher priority then the power windows... OMG... really??

We (my wife and I) had a car with manual mirrors and we just set the passenger side halfway between our settings.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

We (my wife and I) had a car with manual mirrors and we just set the passenger side halfway between our settings.

Off topic: one disadvantage to fixed width mirrors is squeezing into tight garage openings. I routinely close my mirrors in flat (electric) to enter my 20 year old single bay garage opening. I might have to make some interesting choices to avoid manual closing driver mirror (in the rain) every time I drive in…

 

[Johnologue]

Off topic: one disadvantage to fixed width mirrors is squeezing into tight garage openings. I routinely close my mirrors in flat (electric) to enter my 20 year old single bay garage opening.

I don't think it's entirely off topic. DIY, aftermarket, or official (maybe not official, for liability...) mirror upgrades might include some kind of simple remote folding in addition to adjustment. Hit a switch and have some motor or mechanism flip it shut...with some sort of locking safety mechanism to keep it from closing accidentally on the road. That seems possible, if people wanted it.

I'd like to think the Slate's compact footprint makes that less necessary than on most modern vehicles.
According to the recent press release, it's 70.6" without mirrors, 78.1" with mirrors. A quick search based on the vehicles in your profile...according to Car And Driver, the 2024 BMW X5 Hybrid xDrive50e is 78.9" without mirrors (no "with mirrors"?). Edmunds puts the Toyota Grand Highlander at 78.3" without mirrors.

So, the Slate Truck is narrower than either vehicles' without-mirrors width, even without folding its mirrors.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I don't think it's entirely off topic. DIY, aftermarket, or official (maybe not official, for liability...) mirror upgrades might include some kind of simple remote folding in addition to adjustment. Hit a switch and have some motor or mechanism flip it shut...with some sort of locking safety mechanism to keep it from closing accidentally on the road. That seems possible, if people wanted it.

I'd like to think the Slate's compact footprint makes that less necessary than on most modern vehicles.
According to the recent press release, it's 70.6" without mirrors, 78.1" with mirrors. A quick search based on the vehicles in your profile...according to Car And Driver, the 2024 BMW X5 Hybrid xDrive50e is 78.9" without mirrors (no "with mirrors"?). Edmunds puts the Toyota Grand Highlander at 78.3" without mirrors.

So, the Slate Truck is narrower than either vehicles' without-mirrors width, even without folding its mirrors.

You are correct! I have about 2” clearance with the X5 and my wife won’t park any vehicle in that stall… in her mind, only the 48” golf cart should be in that garage!

 

[sodamo]

Off topic: one disadvantage to fixed width mirrors is squeezing into tight garage openings. I routinely close my mirrors in flat (electric) to enter my 20 year old single bay garage opening. I might have to make some interesting choices to avoid manual closing driver mirror (in the rain) every time I drive in…

My MIL was really adept using the garage walls to aid folding the non folding mirrors

 

[Doctors Do Little]

My MIL was really adept using the garage walls to aid folding the non folding mirrors

Hard no, my brother. I just had the entire garage painted to seal over all of my wife’s attempts.

 

[Frozen North]

Off topic: one disadvantage to fixed width mirrors is squeezing into tight garage openings. I routinely close my mirrors in flat (electric) to enter my 20 year old single bay garage opening. I might have to make some interesting choices to avoid manual closing driver mirror (in the rain) every time I drive in…

I might be wrong here, but I think I remember something about the mirrors folding but being manually adjusted.